The European Union has added shipping subsidiaries linked to Gazprom and Lukoil to its sanctions list, expanding measures against Russia’s oil transportation network.
According to a decision published in the EU Official Journal, Gazpromneft Shipping and Lukoil-Western Siberia were sanctioned over their alleged involvement in transporting Russian oil through irregular and high-risk shipping practices.
The move directly targets shipping operators affiliated with two of Russia’s largest oil producers, rather than independent tanker managers or trading companies.
The EU identified Lukoil-Western Siberia as the commercial operator of the tankers Aries, Neva Lux and Nimbus Spb. The bloc said the vessels lacked adequate liability insurance and were involved in ship-to-ship transfers and AIS signal manipulation while carrying Russian crude and petroleum products.
Gazpromneft Shipping was listed as the technical manager of Omsk, Olanga and Murmansk. According to the EU, those tankers also lacked adequate insurance and were involved in ship-to-ship transfers and AIS manipulation while transporting Russian oil products.
The sanctions are part of the EU’s wider effort to disrupt Russian oil exports that use opaque ownership structures, offshore intermediaries and tanker-to-tanker transfers. Previous packages have already targeted hundreds of vessels linked to Russia’s shadow fleet, as well as ports, service providers and companies supporting oil transport.
Earlier this year, the EU sanctioned several Russian maritime and energy-related entities, including Gazprom Flot, Rosnefteflot, Gazpromneft Marine Bunker and Lukoil-Nizhnevolzhskneft, along with dozens of tankers connected to Russian oil exports.
Since 2024, Arctic-linked operators have also been a focus of Western sanctions. Measures by the United States, the EU and the United Kingdom have targeted Sovcomflot vessels, companies involved in Novatek’s Arctic LNG 2 project, and LNG carriers and tanker managers associated with Russian Arctic exports.
Analysts said the designation of Gazpromneft Shipping and Lukoil-Western Siberia could complicate vessel insurance, classification, financing and chartering arrangements, even if the companies continue operating domestically or through non-Western counterparties.
The measures could also raise compliance risks for companies in Asia, the Middle East and other regions dealing with vessels managed by the sanctioned entities.
The sanctions are unlikely to halt Russian oil exports outright, but they could push Gazprom and Lukoil further toward opaque shipping arrangements and non-Western maritime services.
